Division or separation; specifically, permanent division or separation in the Christian church; breach of unity among people of the same religious faith; the offense of seeking to produce division in a church without justifiable cause. "Set bounds to our passions by reason, to our errors by truth, and to our schisms by charity." (Eikon Basilike) Greek schism, an act of the English Parliament requiring all teachers to conform to the Established Church, passed in 1714, repealed in 1719.